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HOUSE BREAKS INTO FIGHTING FACTIONS, GOD TOLD LAWMAKERS TO SPARE BOEHNER SPEAKERSHIP -- Paul Kane writes on A1 of the Washington Post: “On New Year’s Day, in a cramped room in the Capitol basement, House Republican leaders faced an angry caucus. Democrats had negotiated them into a corner — virtually every American would be hit with a massive tax increase unless the House agreed to block the hikes for everyone but the wealthy. A freshman lawmaker seized a microphone and demanded to know how the leaders planned to vote. House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) was a yes, but his top two lieutenants were opposed. ‘If you’re for this and they’re against, we’ve got problems,’ Rep. Stephen Lee Fincher (R-Tenn.) shouted at Boehner and more than 200 lawmakers present, according to Republicans who attended the closed-door meeting. Sure enough, they had problems. Hours later, Democrats helped Boehner pass the measure over the opposition of more than 60 percent of GOP lawmakers.

-- “That vote, to avert the ‘fiscal cliff,’ marked a breaking point for House Republicans, who had disintegrated into squabbling factions, no longer able to agree on — much less execute — some of the most basic government functions. Ever since, Boehner has cautiously tried to steer his party away from that bitter moment, with varying success. A short-term strategy, which conservatives called ‘the Williamsburg Accord,’ emerged from a bruising mid-January retreat. It restored enough unity to permit the House to dodge a government shutdown, badger the Senate into passing its first budget in four years and open investigations of the Obama White House. But beyond those limited efforts, the House has not approved ambitious legislation this year. Lawmakers have instead focused on trying to re-brand the party around kitchen-table issues — although even some of those bills have run into trouble. And the most momentous policy decisions, including an immigration overhaul and a fresh deadline for raising the federal debt limit, have no coherent strategy to consolidate Republicans, much less take on the Democrats. …

-- “The leaders have come under intense scrutiny. Barely 36 hours after the caustic New Year’s Day vote, Boehner faced a coup attempt from a clutch of renegade conservatives. The cabal quickly fell apart when several Republicans, after a night of prayer, said God told them to spare the speaker. Still, Boehner came within a few votes of failing to secure his speakership on the initial vote, an outcome that would have forced a second ballot for the first time in nearly a century. The coming battles will test Boehner’s power and, many Republicans privately suggested, potentially reveal whether it’s time for him to go. ‘This is a big summer and fall, a test for all concerned,’ said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), a close Boehner ally.” http://wapo.st/19ETAex

SHOWDOWN OVER MILITARY SEXUAL ASSAULT – Darren Samuelsohn and Juana Summers report for POLITICO: “It’s a battle between tradition and change, and it could decide how far Congress is willing to go to make the Pentagon confront a growing epidemic of sexual assaults in the ranks. Top Democrats and a few Republicans want to take the cases out of the traditional chain of command — where an accuser might be reporting the crime to the very person she’s accused. Military hawks say no way. Commanders need to maintain authority over their troops.

-- “The dispute has exposed the latest fault line in the military’s handling of a reported 26,000 sexual assault cases last year, and one that could decide just how far Congress is willing to go to force changes on the Pentagon. The Senate is holding hearings on the issue Tuesday. On one side of the fight are those seeking the change, like Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Mark Begich, who argue sexual assault cases need a separate lane in the military — even if that threatens the top-down culture of the Pentagon. On the other side are institutionalists, including hawks like Sen. Jim Inhofe and Rep. Buck McKeon, who argue the chain of command is fundamental to leading the greatest military fighting machine on earth — and shouldn’t be tampered with lightly. While senators like Gillibrand are grabbing headlines for keeping the cause front-and-center in Washington, they will still need to win over colleagues reluctant to impose such a fundamental shift at the Pentagon.” http://politi.co/10NvcnO

THE STAR-LEDGER, A1, “Frank Lautenberg/1924-2013. He came out fighting and he never stopped: Five-term liberal politician changed health, safety laws,”By Matt Friedman and Ted Sherman: “The senator from the streets of Paterson, who died Tuesday, scrapped his whole life, getting into wars of words with presidents, Senate colleagues and governors alike, vanquishing opponents with hard-hitting campaigns and never backing down in a tumultuous career that covered three decades. Politics was a bare-knuckle brawl for the silver-haired New Jersey liberal, and he loved it. ‘Politics is like prizefighting,’ Lautenberg once said. ‘You get a few marks here or there, but you go on to continue your life and ready yourself for the next fight.’ The five-term Democratic senator, who never lost an election, lost his final fight at age 89. In declining health for months, Lautenberg died Tuesday morning at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center of complications from pneumonia, his office reported.

-- “His death leaves a vacancy in the Senate that will filled by Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican. If, as expected, the governor appoints someone from his own party, it will mark the first time a Republican has represented the state in the Senate since 1982. President Obama said Lautenberg ‘improved the lives of countless Americans with his commitment to our nation’s health and safety, from improving our public transportation to protecting citizens from gun violence to ensuring that members of our military and their families get the care they deserve.’ Christie, with whom Lautenberg publicly feuded, said the late senator would be remembered as a fighter who ‘gave as good as he got.’ …

-- “In Washington, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) held a moment of silence at the beginning of the Senate session Tuesday and delivered a 10-minute speech about his friend and longtime colleague. The two began their tenures in Congress in 1983. ‘I have a heavy heart,’ Reid said. ‘Few people in the history of this institution have contributed as much to the nation and the U.S. Senate.’” http://bit.ly/11oVrjW

FUNERAL SERVICES will be held at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Park Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan. Senators and some House members are expected to attend.

CHRISTIE IN A BIND -- David M. Halbfinger, Jeremy W. Peters and Kate Zernike report on A1 of the NYT: “The death of Frank R. Lautenberg on Monday has left Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey with the kind of opportunity that politicians usually covet: the chance to give away a seat in the United States Senate. But the decision is fraught with pitfalls, none bigger than having to choose between improving his party’s fortunes in Washington and furthering his own political ambitions at home. Mr. Christie, a Republican, is up for re-election in November and hoping to secure a huge victory margin, which he could then use to accelerate his drive to present himself as a presidential candidate with broad appeal even in a blue state. But adding a special election for the Senate seat to the ballot could put Mayor Cory A. Booker of Newark at the top of the Democratic ticket, potentially energizing more Democrats, who already outnumber Republicans in New Jersey by 700,000 registered voters, to come to the polls. …

-- “Mr. Christie, whose popularity soared after Hurricane Sandy, is so eager to avoid appearing on the same ballot as Mr. Booker, according to Republican insiders, that he is considering two alternatives to a November election for Mr. Lautenberg’s successor. Each carries a potential political cost, and the dispute could easily be challenged in court. The option that is being pushed by many in Mr. Christie’s own party would be to name a Republican to hold the seat and then delay an election on a replacement until 2014. This would give his national party an unexpected gift: a reliable vote in the Senate — for a year and a half, at least — from a state that has not elected a Republican to the upper house in 41 years. But it would also open Mr. Christie up to allegations of sidestepping the electoral process. The alternative, lawyers in both parties said, would be for Mr. Christie to set a primary election as early as August, which would mean a special election in October. This would leave Democrats in a stronger position to win the seat.” http://nyti.ms/11oWa4P

END OF AN ERA: SENATE’S LAST WWII VET – James Hohmann reports for the hometown paper: “They came of age amid the horror of the last truly global conflict and shared a belief that politics served a higher calling. Frank Lautenberg’s death Monday at 89 closed a chapter in Senate history: The New Jersey Democrat, who enlisted in the Army at 18 and shipped off to Europe, was the last of 115 senators who served during World War II. They were more likely to work together and avoid petty partisanship than their successors. Most, including Republicans like Bob Dole of Kansas, came home believing that government could be a force for good. They internalized a leeriness of war and were committed to caring for fellow veterans. ‘Frankly, if you’d been through World War II, you didn’t think casting a hard vote was the toughest thing you’d ever do,’ said Ira Shapiro, who worked for five senators and wrote a 2012 book called ‘The Last Great Senate’ about the upper chamber’s golden age in the 1960s and ’70s.

-- “The war shaped many of the most famous senators from the past half-century, including decades of presidential candidates from John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon to Barry Goldwater, Bob Dole, George McGovern, Edmund Muskie and even Strom Thurmond. Others, from Joe McCarthy to Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Frank Church, credited World War II with shaping their worldview. Until last year, three remained. Then Hawaii’s two senators left: Daniel Inouye died, and Daniel Akaka retired.” http://politi.co/13hmhKW

DINGELL ON COLBERT LAST NIGHT – Rep. John Dingell, who becomes the longest serving member of Congress on Friday, tells comedian Stephen Colbert that the biggest change in Washington is the “loss of collegiality.” “What is collegiality?” Colbert deadpans. “What is that?” Watch here:http://bit.ly/18L2Gox

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GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, JUNE 4, 2013, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of the day’s congressional news. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to swong@politico.com. If you don't already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.

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TODAY IN CONGRESS – The Senate is in at 10 a.m. and will continue work on the farm bill. The Senate will recess from 12:30 to 2:15 p.m. for weekly party caucus lunches. The House also meets at 10 a.m. with first votes expected between 2 and 2:30 p.m. and last votes in the evening on the Ruth Moore Act and the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act.

AROUND THE HILL – The American Association of University Women (AAUW) and Rep. Louise Slaughter will push for greater Title IX enforcement by holding a skills clinic led by the WNBA’s Washington Mystics and a basketball shoot-out for members of Congress and staffers, beginning at 9:45 a.m. in the Cannon Caucus Room. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra and Vice Chairman Joe Crowley hold a post-meeting availability on jobs and the middle class at 10 a.m. in the HVC-210 alcove .

FOR SOME IN GOP, IRS SCANDAL COULD LEAD TO TAX REFORM – Jeremy Peters reports for the NYT: “When Representative Dave Camp, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, calls conservative activists to the witness table on Tuesday to talk about their experiences in seeking a tax exemption from the Internal Revenue Service, his chief aim will not be to scar the Obama administration or to fuel the continuing Congressional inquiries. The goal of Mr. Camp, a Republican from Michigan, is more complex: He wants tax reform. Other Republicans see the cloud around the I.R.S. in the light of raw politics and how much damage it can do to President Obama. For Mr. Camp, spotlighting the tax-collecting agency — and stoking voter antipathy for it — are ways to build momentum for his plan to rewrite and simplify the entire tax code, a goal he has set for the end of the year.” http://nyti.ms/133W7cV

WERFEL’S STRATEGY TO FIX IRS WINS GOP PRAISE – Lauren French reports for POLITICO: “He’s only been on the job for 12 days, but Daniel Werfel has a message for Washington: Big changes are coming to the IRS. The man President Barack Obama tapped to fix the scandal-scarred IRS is moving aggressively to restore some measure of credibility there. … Werfel’s testimony before a House Appropriations subcommittee was all about projecting a very different tone from his predecessors — Steven Miller and Doug Shulman — who were blasted by lawmakers during hearings last month for failing to take responsibility for the agency’s blunders. ‘These failures have undermined that public’s trust in the IRS’s ability to administer the tax laws in a fair and impartial manner,’ Werfel told the House panel on Monday. “The agency stands ready to confront the problems that occurred, hold accountable those who acted inappropriately, be open about what happened and permanently fix these problems so that such missteps do not occur again.”

-- “Case in point:Werfel pledged to be forthcoming with Congress. That’s key in mending relationships with lawmakers who believe previous leaders misled lawmakers — or outright lied — about the agency’s recently revealed practice of subjecting tea party groups to extra review as they applied for a tax exemption. … The strategy is showing signs of working. House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said he was ‘beginning to like’ Werfel after the acting commissioner said he wouldn’t immediately ask the committee for funding beyond levels requested by the Obama administration.” http://politi.co/11hbxJe

GOP SENATORS TAKE ISSUE WITH ISSA’S ‘LIAR’ CHARGE – CNN reports: “Rep. Darrell Issa's assertion Sunday that Jay Carney is a ‘paid liar’ wasn't met with a chorus of agreement Monday from fellow Republicans, some of whom said the comment was misplaced amid real worries about government overreach. Two outspoken senators – John McCain and Lindsey Graham – both disavowed the remark, saying Issa should focus instead on getting to the bottom of the scandals engulfing the Internal Revenue Service. ‘You can go too far,’ Graham said on the Fox News Radio program ‘Kilmeade and Friends.’ ‘Let's don't make it personal,’ continued the South Carolina Republican. ‘Jay Carney is not the issue here. He's the spokesman for the White House. Just keep doing what you're doing, Darrell.’ … McCain, speaking on CBS ‘This Morning,’ said he uses the word ‘liar’ sparingly when referring to fellow officials. ‘I would never like to use that word,’ he said. ‘I think that we should let these investigations take their course, let the facts come out.’” http://bit.ly/16GnGiV

OBAMA TO NOMINATE THREE FOR APPEALS COURT TODAY – Lisa Lerer reports for Bloomberg: “President Barack Obama plans to name three nominees to the federal appeals court in Washington, according to an administration official, setting up a potential fight with Republicans who say the court doesn’t need more judges. Obama plans to nominate Patricia Ann Millett, a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Cornelia Pillard, a law professor at Georgetown University in Washington, and District Court Judge Robert Wilkins for the three open positions on the 11-member United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, according to the official, who asked for anonymity before the official announcement. The court handles cases on constitutional questions and on the decisions and rulemaking for many federal agencies, giving it a significant role in policy and law. Senate Republicans have for years blocked filling out the court. Senator Charles Grassley, a Republican of Iowa, has proposed legislation that would eliminate the three seats. Obama’s recent nominee to the court, Sri Srinivasan, was confirmed by the Senate last month.” http://bloom.bg/1342rBg

THE ROGERS REPORT: OBAMA VETO THREATS PREVIEW FALL DRAMA –“Could Republicans push President Barack Obama to the point where he feels he has to play shutdown politics when the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1?,” David Rogers asks. “Monday’s veto threats against the first two bills reported from the House Appropriations Committee hinted strongly that such a fight could be coming. And if the only alternative is to be slowly bled to death by an ever-larger sequester, the White House clearly feels it has to take a stand. The immediate targets are budgets for military construction, veterans and the Department of Homeland Security. But the greater goal is to draw a line against the House Republican plan that would impose sequester spending levels but protect defense-related programs by using Obama’s domestic priorities as a bank. … The Republican stall on even beginning a House-Senate conference on the budget feeds into this confrontation — and was echoed in the veto message. And as the debt ceiling debate falls back to November, the continuing resolution suddenly stands out as a defining moment for the president.” http://politi.co/11hBtV6

MISSOURI VOTERS HEAD TO POLLS IN SPECIAL ELECTION – AP: “Voters in southeast Missouri are choosing a new U.S. House member after 32 years of representation by the Emerson family. A special election Tuesday in the 8th Congressional District features Republican state Rep. Jason Smith, of Salem; Democratic state Rep. Steve Hodges, of East Prairie; and candidates from the Libertarian and Constitution parties. The winner will succeed Republican Jo Ann Emerson, who resigned in January to take a job as of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Emerson had held the seat since 1996, when she won a special election to succeed her late husband, Bill Emerson. He first won election to Congress in November 1980. The 8th District spans 30 counties, from the outer St. Louis suburbs south to the Bootheel and west to the Ozarks of south-central Missouri.” http://bit.ly/13iAM1c

CAROLYN McCARTHY HAS LUNG CANCER – Emma Dumain writes for Roll Call: “Rep. Carolyn McCarthy has been diagnosed with lung cancer, the New York Democrat announced Monday. Calling the illness ‘treatable,’ McCarthy said in an official statement that she plans to begin a treatment plan ‘soon,’ and that her doctors at the renowned Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center say she is in ‘good physical health.’ ‘There will be some tough days ahead and I will have to miss activities in Washington during my treatment in New York,’ she continued, ‘but I will continue to be a strong advocate for the 4th Congressional District — and … my capable and longtime staff will continue to support the needs of my constituents.’ McCarthy also asked for privacy as she undergoes treatment, while calling herself a ‘fighter.’ Though the official statement does not include what physicians believe is the cause of McCarthy’s cancer, she is a frequent smoker known to be a fixture among the House members — including Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio — who like to step out onto the balcony in the Speakers’ Lobby for cigarettes and cigars in between votes.” http://bit.ly/10NJSTY

MONDAY’S TRIVIA WINNER – Paul Hays was first to correctly answer that then-Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole oversaw the first massive renovation of Union Station in the late 20th Century. According to the Union Station website, Dole “created the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation to oversee the restoration.” http://bit.ly/17leqjD

TODAY’S TRIVIA – Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), who passed away Monday at age 89, was the last World War II veteran to serve in the upper chamber. How many WWII vets are still serving in Congress and who are they? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day’s Huddle. Email me at swong@politico.com.

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